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Q.
My neighbor is reusing grey water, is my property still safe?
A.
Appropriate reuse of grey water is not considered a health threat to neighboring properties.
Q.
What are the environmental risks associated with reusing grey water?
A.
Soil or plants can process many of the contaminants in grey water if the system is not over-
loaded, including organic material, nutrients, salt and sediment. Nutrients can even be beneficial in
moderate concentrations, for example, on lawns but not on native plants. Some grey water contami-
nants are not capable of being treated or degraded in the soil. Principal among these is salt, which
can comprise up to 30% of some laundry detergents and can cause soil degradation.
Q.
How much grey water do households generate?
A.
The amount of grey water generated by a household will vary greatly depending on the number of
occupants, their age, and their water usage patterns. As a general rule of thumb, the average de-
tached household generates approximately 110,000 liters of grey water per year from the bathroom
and laundry. This is equivalent to 300 liters of water per day.
Q.
How can I improve grey water quality by using different types of soaps or deter-
gents?
A.
The choice of cleaning products can reduce the environmental impact of grey water. Common
washing powders contain sodium salts as bulking agents that produces a saline (salty) grey water.
Some detergents and powder cleansers contain boron that can be toxic to plants in high concen-
tration. It is recommended that for clothes washing you select products low in sodium - either liq-
uid concentrates or powdered products that use potassium salts. There are web sites that can be
checked that list the sodium content of a range of laundry products.
Q.
How much water will the BRAC System save me?
A.
The BRAC System will save approximately one third of your total water usage.
Q.
What is involved in cleaning the BRAC System?
A.
There are three simple cleaning procedures: Cleaning the filter, pump strainer screen and flush-
ing the holding tank.
Q.
How do I clean the filter? And how often?
A.
Every two to four weeks depending on usage, simply remove the filter and rinse it. Soaking the
filter in a vinegar solution on occasion is also recommended.
Q.
How do I flush out the tank and how often?
A.
Drain the holding tank through the clean out valve, add a vinegar solution, allow to soak for a
short time, and drain again. This may be done once every 6 months.
